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The story
Kouto Wakai, guitarist of Mrs. GREEN APPLE, will take on his first lead drama role in a live-action adaptation of “Ninja Hattori-kun,” according to a Bunshun report. The band will perform the theme song, with vocalist Genki Ohmori also making a cameo appearance. Wakai has actually been active as a TV personality for two and a half years already, hosting a music program, but many thread commenters said they were only finding out about it today. Reactions were split between those questioning the point of a live-action adaptation or struggling to tell Wakai and Ohmori apart, and those describing the band’s expansion into dramas and signature TV shows as going the “idol agency route” toward becoming a “national group,” versus others puzzled about who was even asking for this.
The world truly belongs to Mrs. GREEN APPLE right now. They’ve got their own TV show, they’re branching into acting, and now one member has even landed his first lead drama role…
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE keeps expanding beyond music
Source: bunshun.jp / Original article here
What people said
Yeah, the first one was scary.
Oh, that one
He's not even 30 yet, huh
They're turning into some souped-up version of SMAP
Is that really becoming a drama?
It's getting cheaper and cheaper feeling
And then everyone gets tired of them
He's been doing it for two and a half years and I'm only hearing about it today
It's kind of lame
They're not really a 'band' anymore
Just Ohmori and his merry friends at this point
Who even wanted this?
Hattori-kun doesn't have a runny nose like that lol
Don't seriously nitpick an AI-generated image lol
This is rough…
Where's the Hattori-kun in this at all
Using every bit of leverage they've got to try to earn 'national group' status
They're at the stage where just slapping Mrs. GREEN APPLE's name on something guarantees it'll sell
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTvrIhcW0AAshj3.jpg
Back in the day there was a group called Checkers, you know
Is this group's fanbase mostly middle-aged women?
Same demographic as Johnny's fangirls
It's basically a package deal — he shows up as background character #1 walking by, or standing in line at a register in a supermarket scene way in the back
It's natural to be sick of it given the absurd level of media exposure matched by an absurd level of hype
Honestly I don't get what's supposedly good about their songs
They're just covering it up with flashy arrangements and needlessly high notes
I don't think the melodies are good at all
It used to have more of an old-school rock vibe, but it keeps veering off in a weirder direction
You can tell the industry is trying to mold them into the next SMAP
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
“Ninja Hattori-kun,” created by Fujiko Fujio A, has been adapted repeatedly into anime, tokusatsu, and live-action formats since its serialization began in the 1960s, but its core recognition skews toward middle-aged and older audiences — as thread commenters pointed out, it’s “no longer resonates with younger generations.” Meanwhile, Mrs. GREEN APPLE has spent the past few years building up individual members’ careers as media personalities, including Wakai’s role hosting the music program “M:ZINE,” and this new lead role is an extension of that trend. The thread split along a familiar fault line: whether the band’s expanding scope reflects them solidifying their status in the entertainment industry, or whether it’s a “selling out” departure from their musical identity — with many also questioning the very premise of adapting the original work into live action. Worth noting: a “cameo appearance” refers to a brief background role, easily mistaken for a starring part, but it actually carries little weight in the final work.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Bunshun] Mrs. GREEN APPLE guitarist Kouto Wakai to take first lead drama role in live-action ‘Ninja Hattori-kun’… Mrs. GREEN APPLE to perform theme song, Genki Ohmori also cameos [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”
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